Australia has no adjacent land based neighbours and has strict border biosecurity protocols in place. Nevertheless it faces similar challenges to other countries in terms of the need to understand the risks of incursions, maintaining adequate surveillance, exotic pest or disease preparedness and capability to deal with new and emerging threats.
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Dr Debra Cousins
The challenges of biosecurity – an Australian perspective
Australia has no adjacent land based neighbours and has strict border biosecurity protocols in place. Nevertheless it faces similar challenges to other countries in terms of the need to understand the risks of incursions, maintaining adequate surveillance, exotic pest or disease preparedness and capability to deal with new and emerging threats. In addition it needs to deal with the pest and diseases that are already established. Australia has an enviable record in animal disease control and eradication programs for key animal diseases and zoonoses. Biosecurity is seen as a shared responsibility in Australia and is managed using formal and informal agreements, partnerships and collaborations with national, state and territory governments, as well as industry, universities and community. Science plays a key role in understanding risks, threats, pathogens and transmission pathways, and is supported through a number of national and state science facilities and research and development collaborations. A key challenge is to decide where government should invest its ever-decreasing funds and how to engage community in participation. This presentation will describe the biosecurity system in Australia, and discuss issues as diverse as funding allocation principles, the importance of science, traceability, and information systems for emergency management, social media and stakeholder engagement.
Seshanbeh – Shahrivar 11/1393- 10:00-11:00